Refinery29 Uncovers a Plus-Size Practice That's Bad for Body Image

The use of Photoshop may have drummed up a lot of body image controversy in the fashion industry, but there are other practices that are just as troubling including the use of plus-size padding. As magazines and designers embrace plus-sized women more and more, they do so in their own way to create an ideal even within this demographic.

Through the use of plus-size padding, which is explored by Refinery29 with the help of photographer Kristina Wilson, these models are able to fake a more perfectly curvaceous body without going under the knife. Plus-size model and industry consultant Elizabeth Taylor says, "Padding shows that advertisers don’t really believe a woman who really is size 14 or above can sell clothing. When I first started modeling, they told us that women want to see really skinny women sell regular-sized clothing. So, they see a size 0-2 and they're a 6 or an 8, and that's aspirational."